There was a time when remakes in Bollywood used to work like anything. In fact, some of the highest-grossing films were remakes of some other films. This trend saw a big setback after the COVID-19 pandemic ended. Maybe due to exposure to more regional content through OTT, the audience is rejecting remakes most of the time. One of the best examples of it is the epic box office failure of Vikram Vedha, starring Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan. Keep reading to know more!
For those who don’t know, 2022’s Vikram Vedha, starring Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan, was an official Hindi remake of the Tamil neo-noir action thriller of the same name. The original film was released in 2017, and it starred Vijay Sethupathi and R Madhavan in key roles. Interestingly, both the Tamil version and the Hindi remake were directed by the directorial duo of Pushkar and Gayathri.
Upon its release in 2017, the Tamil version opened to highly positive reviews from critics, with major praise coming in for the performances of the lead cast, direction, and screenplay. Commercially, too, the film emerged as a huge success by earning 52 crores net at the Indian box office. Globally, it did a business between 60-65 crores gross.
The official Hindi remake of Vikram Vedha was released on 30th September 2022. Upon its release, the film received highly positive reviews from critics, with the performance of Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan receiving thunderous applause. Even Pushkar and Gayathri were praised for flawlessly adapting the original film into the Hindi version.
Unfortunately, despite the positivity, Vikram Vedha failed to emerge as a theatrical success. In India, it earned 77.51 crores net. Globally, the film amassed slightly over 135 crores gross. Many believe that since the original Tamil version was viewed by many in the Hindi belt, it kind of impacted the overall excitement and buzz around the Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan starrer.
The Tamil Vikram Vedha was made at a controlled cost of just 11 crores. Against this budget, the film amassed 52 crores in India, which means it enjoyed box office returns of 41 crores. Calculated further, it equals 372.72% returns.
The budget for the Hindi remake was reportedly 150 crores. Despite this huge cost, the film earned just 77.51 crores in India, leading to a box office deficit of 72.49 crores.